The YA Dystopia Comeback is Served with a Healthy Dose of Romance
Dystomance. That’s the newly coined subgenre combining dystopian fiction and romance. Best can tell, the term started popping up on Threads in November 2024 and went mainstream when Jenna Bush Hager announced her publishing imprint’s acquisition of Conform by Ariel Sullivan, releasing this October. The recent overnight success of the dystopian romance Silver Elite by Dani Francis proves that publishing might be onto something here.
As an avid reader and writer of both genres, I couldn’t be more thrilled. My debut novel, Soulmatch, publishes with Simon & Schuster on July 29th. The inspiration for it came shortly after reading The Hunger Games in 2010, but the premise marinated and evolved as my reading preferences shifted between YA dystopian and adult romance titles. When I finally sat down to write Soulmatch ten years later, I combined my favorite parts of both genres–-savvy heroines dismantling corrupt governments and sizzling romantic tension.
In Soulmatch, everyone must report to the government on their 18th birthdays to learn about their past lives and if they have a soulmate. The main character, Sivon, has reasons to suspect her soul isn’t “normal,” but nothing prepares her for her shocking results, which propel her into a high-stakes game of danger and heartbreak.
Soulmatch is a YA title, so readers should expect delicious, angst-fueled, slow-burn steam… not spice. Think Divergent but with reincarnation and seasoned with your favorite romance tropes. Soulmatch is in good company, too! Many other YA dystomance titles are releasing or have been released this year.
Here’s a romance-lover’s guide to your new YA dystopian obsession.
Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: the mandated soul-identification process with make or break results.
Romance readers will love: the hate-to-love, star-crossed, bodyguard romance where she saves him.
Fledgling by S.K. Ali –
Release Date: October 24, 2024
Dystopian readers will love: the post-apocalyptic class war between upper and lower Earth.
Romance readers will love: the arranged marriage and enemies-to-lovers relationship
Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
Release Date: March 4, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: The live-streamed assassination gauntlet of impoverished debtors.
Romance readers will love: The sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance between an assassin and her mark.
The Enemy’s Daughter by Melissa Poett
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: the Tristan and Isolde-inspired battle for a ravaged land ruled by a brutal makeshift government.
Romance readers will love: the forbidden romance between magically bonded enemies and their marriage of convenience.
The Ground that Devours Us by Kalla Harris
Release Date: June 3, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: the post-apocalyptic vampires terrorizing Earth.
Romance readers will love: the enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance where he falls first.
Bound By Stars by E.L. Starling
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: the Titanic-inspired, luxury-starliner escape from post-apocalyptic Earth.
Romance readers will love: the grumpy vs. sunshine, forced proximity, enemies to star-crossed lovers.
Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: A climate-ravaged Seattle where healthcare is currency and a deadly virus is spreading.
Romance readers will love: the love triangle, including friends to enemies to lovers and “Who did this to you?”
An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: the cli-fi class war on a flooded Earth.
Romance readers will love: the televised dating competition and love triangle, featuring both enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers relationships.
Coldwire by Chloe Gong
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Dystopian readers will love: the virtual-reality war of nations while the outside world crumbles.
Romance readers will love: the dual protagonists in companion forced-proximity enemies-to-lovers tales.
Rebecca Danzenbaker is the author of Soulmatch, which will be released on July 29. You can pre-order it now.